I saw an interesting site the other day about “Plant (ing) Your Spiritual Garden.” Spiritual Gardening
I’ve seen different versions– one version had some rows of “P”s, instead of “peace”– Peace, Prayer, Patience, and Positive Thinking. Another talked about keeping Be’s near your garden– Be Faithful, Be Loving, Be Kind, Be Anxious for Nothing, etc..
I love figurative language– parable and metaphor and such– the Bible uses it generously. Jesus used parables about gardens, planting, fruit trees, harvest, and vineyards throughout his teachings. He knew that we can listen on two levels and that we remember concepts better with visual and figurative examples.
Prayer is something we must cultivate–we can grow and produce fruit if we develop the pursuit and practice of prayer. Remember to pull out the weeds of busyness and doubt. Plant seeds of praise and trust, dig deep in the fertile soil of faith; allow for the key ingredients of the light of God’s Word and the Living Water of daily fellowship with Him.
There are a lot of other great tips to keep healthy growth happening. Need some more tips– check out this page. Proactive Prayer Points
If you have other tips, I’d love to hear them– please leave a comment or suggestion!
“Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.” – Exodus 15:6
“You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great.” – Psalm 18:35
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10
There are many verses in the Bible about the mighty right hand of God. God’s might and power, His authority and sovereignty are all represented by his “right hand.” It is His right hand that protects us, upholds us, and gives us victory over the Enemy. God’s right hand spread out the heavens, and rules over the stars.
Today, I was thinking about one of my favorite movies– The Princess Bride. In one scene, two mighty swordsmen are fighting a duel. They are fighting with all their might, but they are evenly matched, and neither one is winning. Then, with a flourish, the challenger moves the sword from his left hand (which he had been using) and confesses that he is really right-handed. To his surprise, his opponent does the same! Each man has been fighting with his “lesser” hand, giving his opponent a (supposed) advantage. The fight continues with a similar ferocity. The two opponents later become allies in finding and saving the Princess.
So what if God fought for us with His left hand? What if (and I suppose He is) God is ambidextrous? God could defeat the enemy blindfolded and with one arm tied behind His back! Yet God assures us that His protection and provision are never second-best. If we suffer the attacks of the enemy, it is NEVER because God just didn’t fight hard enough, or that He didn’t have the means to win that battle. He doesn’t send in a junior varsity team of Angels to fight on our behalf. He doesn’t call a “time out” in the middle of fighting to catch His breath or re-evaluate His strategy.
God’s “Mighty Right Hand” isn’t just a metaphor for super-human physical power. He isn’t a muscle-bound hero in a comic book or legend. His mighty right hand is not an eternal fist. God is the One who holds the entire universe in His Hand. It is open. He doesn’t hold us in a choking grip; He holds us in the same gentle hands that hold a newborn chick or a delicate snowflake. God’s mighty right hand is also our safe haven. God’s hand guides and directs, as well.
God IS powerful and sovereign. He could choose to use His mighty right hand to squash us, or pound us into dust. He could hold us in a suffocating grip. But God’s mighty right hand is always directed by His LOVE. His Love cradles us, defends us, lifts us up, encourages us, works alongside us, and welcomes us into His arms!
Baseball season is off to a great start! I love baseball, and I love word-play, so it’s probably no surprise that I really love the Abbot and Costello routine, “Who’s on First?” (watch here)
The idea behind the famous routine is that Abbot is trying to explain the positions on the baseball team, but the players’ names lead to all sorts of needless confusion. You don’t really have to know a lot about baseball to be entertained by the comedy routine, but the more you do know, the funnier it gets. Baseball depends on coordinated team effort– knowing who is playing where can make the difference between spectacular plays and disasters– both offensively and defensively. But as much as I would love to talk about both baseball and comedy today, I really want to use baseball as a metaphor for prayer.
Prayer is very personal, especially confessional prayer, but often it is also communal and a coordinated team effort. Every player (pray-er) wants to play our best, and we are gifted for certain positions on the “team.” Some of us are great at pop-ups– catching people “in the moment” and praying with them, sharing their burdens and joys with concise sentence prayers. Some are sluggers– prayer warriors who “knock it out of the park.” Some are outfielders, patiently persistent in praying for the lost, and ready to chase down a line drive or jump up to make the save. Some are basemen– praying to keep the enemy from gaining ground, or catchers, defending home base from all attempts to score. Some are good at bunting–providing the necessary support and sacrifice so that someone else can advance. And some are master pitchers–crafting prayers that strike out or even shut-out the enemy. Our coach, our mascot, our general manager and MVP? The Almighty, Triune God! He knows our strengths, weaknesses, and how we can improve our performance and standing. He also wants to help our team become closer and stronger. After all, baseball is wonderful, but Christian living is even better– it has eternal consequences!
When we ask, in relation to prayer, “Who’s on First,” we need to remember a few things:
Always listen to the coach!
Remember you are not alone.
PRAY to win!
Look out for and support your teammates.
Each inning is a new beginning– don’t live in the last inning.
Don’t let the current score determine your play.
Don’t let the other team’s players or their fans take you “off your game.”
(Spoiler alert)– We are the champions!
Let’s get suited up and ready to take the field for today’s game…after all, you or I may be on first!
Pursuing Prayer 